N-Town Cycle, Play 36

[The Announcement of the Angel to the Three Marys, and Peter and John at the Sepulchre]

Hic uenient ad sepulcrum Maria Magdalene, Maria Jacobi, et Maria Salomé, et dicit Maria Magdalene:

  1  MAGDALEN. Swete systeryn, I 3ow besech,
  2  Heryght now my specyal speche:
  3  Go we with salvys for to leche
  4  Cryst, žat tholyd wounde.
  5  He hath us wonnyn owt of wreche.
  6  The ryght wey God wyl us teche
  7  For to seke my Lorde, my leche;
  8  His blood hath me vnbownde.

  9  Vij develys in me were pyght.
 10  My loue, my Lord, my God almyght,
 11  Awey he weryd že fyndys wight
 12  With his wyse wurde.
 13  He droff fro me že fendes lees,
 14  In my swete sowle his chawmere I ches,
 15  In me belevyth že Lorde of Pes.
 16  I go to his burryenge boorde.

 17  MARIA JACOBI My systerys sone I woot he was.
 18  He lyth in here as sunne in glas.
 19  že childe was born by oxe and asse
 20  Vp in a bestys stall.
 21  Thow his body be gravyd vndyr gres,
 22  že grete Godhede is nevyr že lasse.
 23  že Lord xal rysyn and gon his pas,
 24  And comfortyn his frendys all.

 25  MARIA SALOME My name is Mary Salomé.
 26  His modyr and I, systerys we be;
 27  Annys dowterys we be all thre,
 28  Jesu, we be žin awntys.
 29  The naylis gun his lemys feyn,
 30  And že spere gan punche and peyn.
 31  On žo woundys we wold haue eyn;
 32  žat grace now God graunt vs.

 33  MARIA MAGDALEN Now go we stylle
 34  With good wyll

 35  žer he is leyd.
 36  He deyd on crowch,
 37  We wolde hym towch,
 38  As we han seyd.

Tunc respicit Maria Magdalene in sepulcro, dicens:

 39  Where is my Lord, žat was here,
 40  žat for me bledde bowndyn in brere?
 41  His body was beryed rygh by žis mere,
 42  žat for me gan deye.
 43  že Jewys, fekyll and fals fownde,
 44  Where haue žei do že body with wounde?
 45  He lyth not upon žis grownde—
 46  že body is don aweye!

 47  MARIA JACOBI To my Lorde, my love, my frende,
 48  Fayn wolde I salve a spende,
 49  And I myght aught amende
 50  His woundys depe and wyde.
 51  To my Lorde I owe lowlyté,
 52  Bothe homage and fewté.
 53  I wolde with my dewté
 54  A softyd hand and syde.

 55  MARIA SALOME To myghtiful God omnypotent
 56  I bere a boyst of oynement.
 57  I wold han softyd his sore dent,
 58  His sydys al abowte.
 59  Lombe of Love withowt loth,
 60  I fynde že not, myn hert is wroth!
 61  In že sepulcre žer lyth a cloth,
 62  And jentyl Jesu is owte.

 63  ANGELUS Wendyth forth, 3e women thre,
 64  Into že strete of Galylé.
 65  3oure Savyour žer xul 3e se
 66  Walkynge in že waye.
 67  3oure fleschly Lorde now hath lyff,
 68  žat deyd on tre with strook and stryff.
 69  Wende forth, žu wepynge wyff,
 70  And seke hym, I že saye.

 71  Now goth forth fast, all thre,
 72  To his dyscyplys fayr and fre.
 73  And to Petyr že trewth telle 3e—
 74  žerof haue 3e no dreed.
 75  Spare 3e not že soth to say:
 76  He žat was deed and closyd in clay,
 77  He is resyn žis same day,
 78  And levyth with woundys reed.

 79  MARIA MAGDALEN A, myrthe and joye in herte we haue,
 80  For now is resyn out of his graue
 81  He levyth now oure lyff to saue,
 82  žat dede lay in že clay.
 83  MARIA JACOBY In hert I was ryght sore dysmayd
 84  The aungel to us whan žat he sayd
 85  žat Cryst is resyn; I was affrayd,
 86  že aungel whan I say.

 87  MARIA SALOME Now lete us all thre fulfylle
 88  že angelys wurde and Goddys wylle;
 89  Left us sey with voys wul shrylle,
 90  Cryst, žat Jewys dede sle,
 91  Oure Lord, žat naylyd was on že rode,
 92  And betyn out was his bodyes blode,
 93  He is aresyn! žough they ben wode,
 94  A, Lorde, 3itt wele žu be.

Maria Magdalene dicit Petro et ceteris apostolis:

 95  [MARIA MAGDALENE] Bretheryn all, in herte be glad,
 96  Bothe blythe and joyful, in herte ful fayn.
 97  For ryght good tydandys haue we had
 98  žat oure Lord is resyn agayn!
 99  An aungel us bad ryght žus, sertayn,
100  To že, Petyr, žat we xulde telle
101  How Cryst is resyn, že which was slayn,
102  A levynge man evyrmore to dwelle.

103  MARIA JACOBI To lyve is resyn ageyn žat Lorde,
104  The qwych Judas to Jewys solde.
105  Of žis I bere ryght trewe recorde
106  By wurdys žat že aungel tolde.
107  Now myrth and joye to man on molde;
108  Euery man now myrth may haue.
109  He žat was closyd in cley ful colde
110  This day is resyn owt of his grave.

111  PETRUS. Sey me, systeryn, with wurdys blythe,
112  May I troste to žat 3e say?
113  Is Cryst resyn ageyn to lyve
114  žat was ded and colde in clay?
115  MARIA SALOME 3a, trostyth us truly, it is no nay!
116  He is aresyn, it is no les.
117  And so an aungel us tolde žis day
118  With opyn voys and speche expres.

119  JOHANNES. 3a, žese be tydyngys of ryght gret blys,
120  žat oure maystyr resyn xulde be!
121  I wyl go renne in hast, iwys,
122  And loke my Lord yf I may se.
123  PETRUS. For joye also I renne with the,
124  My brothyr Johan, as I že say.

125  In hast anon evyn forth go we;
126  To his grave we renne oure way.

Hic currunt Johannes et Petrus simul ad sepuicrum, et Johannes prius venit ad monumentum, sed non intrat.

127  JOHANNES. The same shete here I se
128  žat Crystys body was in wounde.
129  But he is gon! Wheresoever he be,
130  He lyth not here upon žis grownde.

Petrus intrat monumentum, et dicit Petrus:

131  PETRUS. In žis cornere že shete is fownde;
132  And here we fynde že sudary
133  In že whiche his hed was wounde
134  Whan he was take from Calvary.

Hic intrat Johannes monumentum dicens:

135  JOHANNES. The same sudary and že same shete
136  Here with my syth I se both tweyn.
137  Now may I wele knowe and wete
138  žat he is rysyn to lyve ageyn!
139  Onto oure bretheryn lete us go seyn
140  že trewth ryght hevyn as it is:
141  Oure maystyr lyvyth, že whech was slayn,
142  Allmyghty Lorde and Kynge of Blys.

143  PETRUS. No lengere here wyll we dwelle;
144  To oure bretheryn že wey we take.
145  The trewth to them whan žat we telle,
146  Grett joye in hert žan wul žei make.

Hic Petrus loquitur omnibus apostolis simul collectis:

147  Beth mery, bretheryn, for Crystys sake!
148  žat man žat is oure mayster so good,
149  From deth to lyve he is awake,
150  žat sore was rent upon že rood.

151  JOHANNES. As women seyd, so haue we fownde:
152  Remevyd awey we saw že ston!
153  He lyth no lengere vndyr že grownde;
154  Out of his graue oure maystyr is gon.

[Omnibus congregatis.]

155  THOMAS We haue grett woundyr, everychon,
156  Of žese wurdys žat 3e do speke.
157  A ston ful hevy lay hym vpon—
158  From vndyr žat ston how xulde he breke?

159  PETRUS. The trewth to tellyn, it passyth oure witt!
160  Wethyr he be resyn thorwe his owyn myght,
161  Or ellys stolyn out of his pitt
162  Be sum man prevely be nyght.
163  That he is gon we saw with syght,
164  For in his graue he is nowth.
165  We cannot tellyn in what plyght
166  Out of his graue žat he is browth.